Table 2.
Metastatic lymph node involvement (UICC-TNM N classes) in relation to the detection of metastases by frozen section analysis or after definitive pathology examination of the sentinel lymph node
| N stage | FS: metastases + n = 200a |
FS: metastases −/ definitive PA: metastases + n = 151a |
P* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitc | – | 24 (16) | <.001 |
| N1mi | 10 (5) | 84 (56) | |
| N1a | 122 (61) | 31 (21) | |
| N1c | 11 (6) | 8 (5) | |
| N2a | 33 (17) | 4 (3) | |
| N3a | 17 (9) | – | |
| N3b | 7 (4) | – |
Values in parentheses are percentages. Definitive N status as determined after definitive surgery, including the findings in the IM SLNs
a3 patients in the FS + group and 39 patients in the other group did not have an ALND; N class was based on the examination of the SLN(s). See text results
* Chi-square analysis